Study finds Tennessee abortion waiting period reduced abortions by 6%

FOX17 ^ | October 18, 2019 | Adrian Mojica

[Morgana]

NASHVILLE, Tenn.--A new study from researchers at Texas A&M University finds Tennessee's abortion waiting period law has reduced the number of abortions by 6%.

Passed in 2015 under then Governor Bill Haslam, the law sets a 48 hour waiting period before undergoing the procedure. The law has been challenged in federal court by abortion clinics which argue it provides no benefits and causes a burden to women.

Focusing on the Tennessee law, the new study found while abortions overall decreased, the waiting period caused a 38% increase in the number of second-trimester abortions. The study also found the waiting period could increase the monetary cost of obtaining an abortion by $900 when accounting for fees, transportation, lost wages, and childcare.

[Morgana]

Here is the full report

https://www.scribd.com/document/430919278/MandatoryWaitingPeriods-LindoPinedaTorres

[Mrs. Don-o]

Not sure how requiring a 48-hour waiting period could dramatically boost the number of women having 2nd trimester abortions, unless they had their first consultation at 11 weeks 5 days, and had the evil deed done at 12 weeks.

Two days also shouldn't add $900+ to the cost, as they claim. I did download the whole report but it was unreadable on my computer.

But 6% fewer abortions overall? That would be 600 fewer abortions in the state, which has approx. 10,000 Tennessee children killed by abortion annually. Pretty significant reduction of mortality, wouldn't you say?

[SamuraiScot]

the waiting period caused a 38% increase in the number of second-trimester abortions.

Rilly? Caused? Maybe it would be more scientific to say that in the study, the 48-hour waiting period was associated (some-freakin-how that's probably unknown) with a 38-percent increase in the number of girls who had abortions in their second trimester.

The numbers, if accurate, could also indicate a significant benefit to the 48-hour delay. Did the researchers--or the reporter--ask whether the fact that there is now a waiting period resulted in more girls changing their minds and deciding against an abortion before their first visit to the clinic?

What if their awareness of the 48-hour delay before any abortion--which is a message that this decision is a big deal--caused more reflection on the part of a large number of the girls considering abortion? What if the result was that an extra 38 percent of the girls didn't show up for their appointments at all? (No-shows for appointments are very common at abortion clinics.)

That would have left a larger proportion of the girls remaining on the appointment list who had more pressure on them to off their babies (God have mercy), and had already decided it was their only way out--and so were less affected by the 48-hour delay. That could account for an increase in the proportion of second-trimester abortions--among those who showed up for their appointments.

I'd love to see the numbers.